Total knee replacement procedures often require an orthopedic surgeon to bond a patella prosthesis to a patient's prepared patella using bone cement near the conclusion of the procedure. The patella prosthesis may be held in place during the time it takes the bonding cement to cure by a traditional non-modular medical instrument patella protector, for example a scissor type, that maintains compression by being held by the hand or by being compressed then locked in position. A bulky traditional patella protector may interfere with the rest or the procedure, and an orthopedic surgeon may have to wait and do nothing while the cement cures before completing the procedure. It may take ten minutes or longer for the cement to cure. In that situation, the total time for a full knee replacement may be extended, resulting in increased risk to the patient associated with being under anesthesia with an open wound, a constraint on the orthopedic surgeon's time and a waste of operating room resources.